Chapter Text
It was a peaceful day in the Fairy Tail guild hall. Well, as peaceful as it got. There were people like Macao and Wakaba who couldn’t help but argue and fight. There were people like Cana who were busying themselves at the bar, drinking until they couldn’t feel their faces. And then there were people like Elfman and Evergreen who, despite arguing otherwise, spatted like an old married couple.
Erza calmly walked over to the table she and her friends had claimed as theirs, though there was no vocal claim, completely ignoring the ongoing battle between her guildmates, such as Macao and Wakaba, and Jet and Droy. She sat next to Lucy, who had her head on the table, napping silently, although that might have been the noise drowning out any snores. As soon as Erza sat, Lucy jolted awake.
“Huh! I’m awake!” She yawned, stretching her back, oblivious to sudden stares as her shirt dragged on her cleavage.
Erza snorted softly. “Don’t mind me.” She waved off. “You must be tired if you’re having a nap here, of all places.”
“Yeah…” Lucy rubbed her eye, blinking harshly. The guild hall was always loud and noisy, so to sleep here was something only people like Natsu could do. “I was up late reading. I was going to stop, but the chapters all ended in cliffhangers…” She twisted her neck, cracking the bones. She froze suddenly. Erza hummed questioningly. “Oh, it’s just…” She gained a weird look, pointing afar. “Wendy, I could understand. But those two?”
Erza followed the finger, finding the target. She felt her face morph into the same strange look. Rubbing her eyes, she blinked, wondering if this was some sort of illusion. Alas, it was nothing of the sort.
Before her very eyes, Natsu Dragneel and Gajeel Redfox were writing on a sheet of paper, Wendy on their side, kicking her legs as she did the same.
Natsu and Gajeel. Writing. Since when did they write!?
Curiosity overwhelming her, Erza marched over, Lucy on her tail. Along the way, they somehow picked up Gray, who, as soon as he saw the offending image, followed them.
The three were distracted, giggling and laughing among themselves. So much so that Erza had no issue peeking over Natsu’s shoulder to catch a glimpse of his sheet of paper. Perhaps her lessons from so many years ago had finally sank in and Natsu was learning how to read and write in Fiorian.
Fate was ever-so-cruel.
Erza gaped. The writing was a mess! It looked more akin to a bunch of scribbles than actual characters!
“Oh, Erza-san!” She almost jolted at Wendy’s kind voice, sudden and loud. Almost. She was Erza Scarlet, after all. She quickly composed herself. “How may we help you?”
Erza shook it off. “Don’t pay us any mind.” She smiled. “I was simply curious as to what you were doing. Drawing, perhaps?”
Wendy blinked. The three slayers stared at Erza as if she’d lost a screw. A vein popped seeing that on Natsu’s face, of all faces.
“Uh, no?” Gajeel scoffed, holding his sheet out and presenting it for them to see. “We’re writing, Titania. I thought you’d recognise that.”
Erza’s blood rushed, though she didn’t know if it was from rage or embarrassment. Gray snickered, but one look had him shutting up real quick. She sighed. “I don’t know what you expect from me, Gajeel. I can’t understand anything on that sheet.”
Natsu huffed. “But there ain’t any big words!” He protested, Erza blinking in surprise as Natsu began to read Gajeel’s sheet. “See, this says–” What came from his mouth was nothing short of terrifying. Growls and clicks flowed from his mouth, inhuman. It was something a human had no ability to produce. Yet here he was, reading it as if it were any normal language. Gajeel and Wendy nodded as Natsu spoke(?), but when Erza looked at them, Lucy and Gray were shocked still, faces crumpled up. This was not normal. “You got that?”
With a jolt, Erza realised that Natsu had finished - spoke something human - and could not answer.
“What the hell was that?” Luckily, Cana could. Her words were slightly slurred, but she only looked tipsy. She must have only had three barrels, then. “Damn, that shit hurt my ears, Natsu!”
“What do you mean?” Wendy cocked her head. She pointed at her sheet, full of the same scribbles. “Look, this is–” More growls, but it was even more unsettling coming from someone who usually had such a soothing, sweet voice. Charle and Happy didn’t seem disgruntled in the slightest, but Lily was wearing the same face of shock as they.
“Look, no offence–” Erza glared, hoping Cana would understand, but Cana was not sober enough to notice it, “but I didn’t understand a damn thing you growled at me.”
The three of them jumped.
“Wait, you don’t–!?”
“Oi, Natsu!” Gajeel growled, “I thought you spoke this shit before!”
“I did! I do!” He yelled, confused. “I always do! Especially when we fight! Like–” Again. More growls. Erza realised with a start that it was the same growls he’d give before challenging or fighting someone. She was often spectator to them.
“Enough!” Gray finally snapped. “What kinda language is that!? Dragons!?”
“Yeah.” They froze. Natsu looked over, brows furrowed, lips pursed. “You never knew what I was saying? Aw, but I said so much!” He yelled, grabbing his hair.
Gajeel grumbled. “No wonder nobody reacted when I told a joke.”
Wendy pouted, cheeks puffed. She growled. Natsu and Gajeel suddenly choked, snickering as they turned away, hands covering their mouths.
“Dammit, Wendy!”
“Where did you learn that word!?”
Wendy huffed. “Gajeel-nii, you say it a lot.”
Erza really wanted to know what got such a reaction, but she decided she was probably better off not knowing. She sighed.
Those three really were dragons, huh?